‘American Song Contest’ Announces Its 56 Competitors Including Macy Gray, Jewel & Michael Bolton
NBC has officially announced the line-up of its Eurovision-inspired competition series American Song Contest, which is set to premiere on Monday, March 21, 2022.
The show will see 56 artists representing the U.S. states and surrounding territories, including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands, performing original songs every Monday night. The network has joined forces with Atlantic Records to release the songs a couple of hours after the show finishes airing.
There are some familiar names among the competitors, including Macy Gray (representing Ohio), Michael Bolton (Connecticut), Jewel (Alaska), the Crystal Method (Nevada), and Sisqo (Maryland). Other states are represented by popular local artists who don’t have the global recognition and celebrity status as those mentioned above.
Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and rap superstar Snoop Dogg will co-host the show, which kicks off on March 21 from 8-10 p.m., live from the NBCUniversal lot. The finale is scheduled to air on May 9.
“Launching a new series is always a massive undertaking, but mounting one that involves producing 56 original songs is a herculean task,” said the show’s executive producer Audrey Morrissey (The Voice). “Selecting the right label partner to dig in with us was crucial and we found the perfect partner in Atlantic Records.
She continued: “We can’t wait for viewers to discover new music from our incredibly talented artists from across the country and help decide America’s next big song.”
As with the long-running international songwriting competition Eurovision, the American Song Contest will see qualifying rounds, followed by semi-finals until one state or territory is voted the ultimate winner. Also, duos and groups are able to compete alongside solo artists.
Check out the full list of participants below:
- Alabama: Ni/Co
- Alaska: Jewel
- American Samoa: Tenelle
- Arizona: Las Marias
- Arkansas: Kelsey Lamb
- California: Sweet Taboo
- Colorado: Riker Lynch
- Connecticut: Michael Bolton
- Delaware: Nitro Nitra
- Florida: Ale Zabala
- Georgia: Stela Cole
- Guam: Jason J
- Hawaii: Bronson Kane’Opio Varde
- Idaho: Andrew Sheppard
- Illinois: Justin Jesso
- Indiana: UG skywalkin
- Iowa: Alisabeth Von Presley
- Kansas: Broderick Jones
- Kentucky: Jordan Smith
- Louisiana: Brittany Pfantz
- Maine: King Kyote
- Maryland: Sisqo
- Massachusetts: Jared Lee
- Michigan: Ada LeAnn
- Minnesota: Yam Haus
- Mississippi: Keyone Starr
- Missouri: Brett Seper
- Montana: Jonah Prill
- Nebraska: Jocelyn Anderson
- Nevada: The Crystal Method
- New Hampshire: MARi
- New Jersey: Brooke Alexx
- New Mexico: Khalisol
- New York: Enisa
- North Carolina: John Morgan
- North Dakota: Chloe Fredericks
- Northern Mariana Islands: Sabyu
- Ohio: Macy Gray
- Oklahoma: AleXa
- Oregon: courtship
- Pennsylvania: Bri Steves
- Puerto Rico: Christian Pagan
- Rhode Island: Hueston
- South Carolina: Jesse LeProtti
- South Dakota: Judd Hoos
- Tennessee: Tyler Braden
- Texas: Grant Knoche
- U.S. Virgin Islands: Cruz Rock
- Utah: Savannah Keyes
- Vermont: Josh Panda
- Virginia: Almira Zaky
- Washington: Allen Stone
- Washington, D.C.: Neither
- West Virginia: Alexis Cunningham
- Wisconsin: Jake’O
- Wyoming: Ryan Charles
American Song Contest, Premiere, March 21, 8 p.m et, NBC
